Overview

This occupational therapy degree apprenticeship is ideal if you are employed as a healthcare worker and your employer is willing to support your professional development.

At Teesside University we have been training occupational therapists since 1994 and this apprenticeship route is in response to employer demand. The course follows a similar pathway as the BSc (Hons) Occupational Therapy and a successful apprenticeship journey will lead to your eligibility to apply for registration with the Health and Care Professions Council (HCPC) as an occupational therapist.

Occupational therapy continues to be a distinct and growing profession working in health, social care, the voluntary and the third sector as well as in private practice. Interventions are client-centred and therefore individually tailored to meet the needs of the client. This requires detailed assessment of the person’s functional abilities and clear goals set to help them maximise independence and efficacy in all areas of daily life. This may mean developing quite a different direction due to injury, disability or illness and this may be difficult and painful to accept. The occupational therapist needs to be a problem solver; a motivator and able to help clients analyse and evaluate the effects of a variety of interventions to find the best fit with them, and for them, in their future lives.

Course modules develop theoretical principles and skills that are directly related to occupational therapy practice. The course structure sees you undertake the theory that is required prior to each practice placement, so that a staged approach facilitates graded learning. In addition you also have the opportunity to take part in inter-professional education modules and shared learning.

Course structure

Year 1 core modules

You reflect on your own and other perceptions of an effective health care system and appreciate the contribution of other professionals in the healthcare team. The concept of person-centred care will be introduced and related issues such as communication skills, cultural awareness and ethical judgement will be explored.

An Introduction to Personal Practise

This interprofessional module introduces the core skills, values and behaviours that underpin your professional practice within health and social care with acknowledgment of the professional standards you must adhere to from your regulator and your own professional body.

Health and Wellbeing in Professional Practise

You consider the role of the allied health professional within the context of increasingly unhealthy lifestyles, and growing numbers of people with long term conditions. You are introduced to models of health including social, psychological, physical, cultural and environmental, and how these key concepts can influence quality of care and enhance the participation of individuals

Principles of Rehabilitation and Recovery in Healthcare

Within the health and social care sector, an increasing number of therapy assistants are working across the disciplines of occupational therapy and physiotherapy in the drive towards integrated care for patients and service users. This module focuses on the rehabilitation and recovery process from primary assessment to secondary care and discharge using a client centred approach. The biopsychosocial development of an individual through the lifespan will be considered in conjunction with discussion as to how congenital or acquired conditions may restrict an individuals’ potential for optimum independence in occupational performance at any stage in their life.

Structure and Functional for Allied Health Professional

You develop integrated knowledge of anatomy and physiology through small group working in variety of workshops, practical laboratories and student-led interactive sessions making use of relevant online tools and resources.

How you learn

A range of diverse learning and teaching methods includes keynote lectures, seminars, small group work as well as practical skills sessions. You are given constructive feedback to enhance your learning opportunities. You are encouraged and supported to engage in self-directed learning throughout the duration of the course. You must successfully complete at least 1,000 hours of clinical practice to comply with the regulations of the Chartered Society of Physiotherapy. Clinical placements enable you to assess and treat clients with varied clinical conditions, in a range of hospital and community settings. During placements you are supervised by experienced clinicians and receive visits from University tutors.

How you are assessed

You will encounter a variety of assessment methods as you progress through the course. The nature of the assessment will vary according to the learning outcomes of the module and also to ensure that you are not disadvantaged by any one method.

Methods of assessment include written and practical examinations, completion of practice portfolios, poster and oral presentations, written assignments and practice placements. In Year 3 a specific apprenticeship end point assessment includes professional discussion and observation of your practice in the clinical setting.
In the interests of professional safety, you must complete all modules successfully to demonstrate:

• conducting assessment and treatment procedures safely and effectively
• satisfactory clinical reasoning and problem-solving skills
• satisfactory skills in communication and team working
• evidence of appropriate selection and appraisal of methods of critical enquiry.

Career opportunities

Opportunities are available for employment within the NHS, private sector or charitable trusts – in hospitals, GP surgeries, schools, industry and in the community. You could also consider a career working in clinical research or teaching, in the UK or overseas.

Work placement

Depending on your place of employment, you may be able to meet the requirements of the course within your own Trust. However, there may be occasions when you are asked to work in a different hospital or a different Trust to gain the necessary experience and to develop the necessary knowledge and skills in order to meet the required standards of practice.